Topic: mental illness

I’m angry at the world’s eagerness to see Tony as your rock instead of seeing you as the rock—for yourself and for all women. And I wish we were doing a better job of thanking you for it, Asia. Dear Asia Argento, Like millions of people far-flung across the globe, I am a rabid fan […]

Why does something as minor as not being able to find a parking spot, or running out of time to prepare for a meeting, cause my brain to issue these Code Red alerts? Claws gouge the center of my chest. Someone, something, forcibly pulls half of me to the left, half to the right. It […]

It’s kind of like telling someone “If you’re hungry, come over for dinner.” It doesn’t matter how generous the offer is, or how sincerely meant, if they don’t have a way of getting to your house in the first place. In the days since the tragic and much-publicized deaths by suicide of Kate Spade and […]

We watched Bourdain be moved by the ways others live in this world. We watched him share in their joy. We watched him confront their suffering and his own. To make anybody feel good is an extraordinary ability, but it is also exhausting. “Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting […]

We know they fought hard. We know they died. We aren’t entitled to anymore information than that. Anthony Bourdain. Kate Spade. Two beloved celebrities lost to suicide, and two deaths covered non-stop by the media. I won’t share the details of either death but a quick perusal of the news reveals every suicide coverage mistake: […]

It’s a nice idea that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and kick depression to the curb. But like most bootstrap narratives, it’s simply not true. Iconic fashion designer Kate Spade died by suicide earlier today. As I read the news, all I could think was one thing: There’s no such thing as […]

There are days when getting out of bed takes grit. There are two kinds of people in the world: those who make their beds in the morning, and those who do not. If I ever become one of the latter, you’ll know I’ve given up. “What’s the point making my bed when I’m only going […]

Taking antidepressants is like removing a fog you never realized you lived beneath. I see myself and the world clearer; I am more myself on antidepressants, not less. Two weeks ago, I was sitting in the kitchen at work when the topic of wellness came up. It didn’t take long for the conversation to shift […]

Dear Dana is a bi-weekly advice column for humans who engage in romantic relationships. Please send your dilemmas, issues, conundrums, assumptions, conflicts, anxieties, worriments, obstacles, complications, predicaments, queries, questions, and any other synonyms for “problems” to deardana@rolereboot.org. Dear Dana, My boyfriend and I will be having our one year anniversary next month. For the past months, […]

I can easily spend hours pulling. If I am able to stop myself during these moments, I am often overcome with obsessive urges that won’t go away until I pull out the hairs that I know are there. At the age of 7 I started compulsively pulling out my eyelashes and eyebrows. I distinctly remember […]

He had been pursuing me for so long and I had really fallen for him. I felt excited and alive around him and he made me feel so very desired. Have you ever woken up one day and realized you are dating an abuser? I have. It took me a while to realize this because being in […]

I am a lot of things; some people might think I am too many things. I am also worth loving. I am hard to love. Well, I’m easy to love. I’m kind and generous. I’m intelligent and funny. I’m an environmentalist and humanitarian. I am really good at baking cakes. I am those things. But […]